Secrets and Lies
by Ridergirl007
Summary: Alex arrives at school one day to find Blunt and Jones telling his class that they are being recruited to MI6. Next thing he knows, he's in Germany with his classmates, trying to solve the mystery of some strange attacks before someone gets hurt.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Uhh… Everything belongs to Anthony Horowitz, except all the random stuff that's mine, but I don't feel like listing it.**

A blonde haired teenager raced along the alleys of London on a bike. He continued onto a main road, and followed it to a school with a large field in front of it. He rode up to the building and raced in. He slid into his seat in Room 7 just as the bell rang.

This boy was Alex Rider. He was tall and muscular, with brown eyes that were unlike those of his classmates. Those brown eyes had seen more horrors than a grown adult sees in their life.

The teacher, Mr. Lawrence, walked in. "Settle down now!" he called over the class's voices. Gradually the chatter died down. "We have some special guests this morning everyone. I'd like to introduce Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones."

The two people Alex hated most in the world came into the classroom. He groaned and stood up. "What do you people want now?" he asked. All eyes and heads turned towards him.

"Actually, Alex, we're here to ask your class for a favor." said Blunt. "Maybe you'd like to step outside and have Mrs. Jones explain this to you."

"Whatever." Was Alex's terse reply before he sauntered out to the hall after Mrs. Jones.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Alex asked.

"No, we need help. A school in Southern Germany has been attacked numerous times. The strange thing is, all of a sudden, the attackers retreat every time before they ever do anything. We think they could be trying to get publicity before they make a final attack and follow through with it. However, if there is some other reason, we need to know before the school closes and leaves its thousands of students with no education. There is no one politically or otherwise important at the school, making it all the more puzzling. We need to prevent any other students from enrolling, so we have to fill all of the openings for the term. This means we need schoolchildren. We are going to ask-"

"No way. Absolutely not. You are not getting them mixed up in this. Besides, when you say 'ask' you mean force. It doesn't really seem to matter what I say. If any of them die, how could you live with yourself? I just don't get what goes on in your heads." Alex ranted.

"Like you said, it doesn't really matter what you say. You and the class leave for the SAS in two days. You don't have to tell them about yourself if you don't want to, but I advise that you explain why you are a MI6 spy," Was Mrs. Jones's calm reply. "Let's go back in."

The two walked back into the classroom, Alex feeling incredibly angry. Blunt was just finishing his proposal. "… so we need you to assist in the protection of the school. However, some of you may not be up to the job, so you will go into training and undergo a test to ensure that you are ready. Any questions?" he looked around at the amazed faces around him. "Good. You leave for the SAS camp in two days. Pack light, you will be given a uniform. No complaints, and keep this information private. Your parents will be told that you are going on a class trip to Germany. If they object, we will deal with it. I will see you on the plane." With that, Blunt walked out of the building, followed closely by Mrs. Jones. They got into a black Escalade and drove off, leaving Alex to deal with the inevitable questions.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Soooo… I _finally_ finished this chappie. Hope you like it. I just love writing the spoiled brat girl part**. **Disclaimer from ch. 1 applies to whole story, so please don't sue me. I'm innocent. I swear. Well, mostly anyway. On with the story!**

TWO DAYS LATER:

A group of children walked across a runway to a large private jet. The London rain beat down on their umbrellas and raincoats. At the front of the group was a fair haired boy; next to him was a darker haired boy. This other boy was Tom Harris, Alex's best friend and the only one who knew his secret already. He planned to tell the class on the plane.

They ascended the metal staircase into the plane and were met by Mrs. Jones, wearing a black skirt suit with a white collared shirt, and, as usual, sucking a peppermint. "Hello children!" she said in her uncomfortably cheerful voice. "Just go on to a chair around the table. Your bags will be stored in a cabinet if you would please leave them in a pile over here," she gestured to a corner of the cabin. Looking down the plane, they could see that this was no ordinary jet. A large glass table with seats all around it stood in the center. Each child went to a seat and strapped in.

"All set everyone?" inquired Mrs. Jones, then, without waiting for an answer from them, turned to the flight attendant, "We are ready to take off," before taking her own seat at the head of the table.

Alex was seated on the left of Mrs. Jones, Tom next to him. On the table in front of each child was a packet of paper and a set of clothes, except Alex. Alex was already wearing his uniform, which was left from his last training time. The papers for him were also different. His read: **Possible Organizations Responsible for Suspicious Attacks,**

instead of "Mission Briefing". MI6 clearly weren't going to give the children all of the information. Reading further down, he noticed that the first organization on the list was SCORPIA. He stood up, every head turned toward him. He turned to Mrs. Jones and said "Do you want them to kill me this time? Because last time didn't turn out so well, did it? They got off with one destroyed evil plan and a few dead leaders, leaving me with a hole in my chest. I won't make the mistake of going back to them a third time."

"Alex, this is not the place for that discussion." Replied Mrs. Jones, no longer in a cheerful tone. "If you have a problem, we will discuss it in private." Alex clenched his jaw and sat down again.

"As I was saying, you will be attending an SAS training camp. These are your uniforms. You only get two, so keep them in good shape. You will be split into groups for the next few weeks, based on physical ability. After three weeks, you will undergo a test to make sure you are ready, and then we will send you in, if you pass. Read these packets in your spare time. You can start now. Alex, please come with me." Mrs. Jones walked to the back of the plane where there was a door leading to a private compartment. Alex followed.

The room was small, and contained a large flat screen TV and a computer sat on a desk in the center of the room. There was an extra swiveling chair, which Mrs. Jones gestured for Alex to sit in. She took her seat behind the desk.

Mrs. Jones pressed the on button on the TV. It flickered on and showed an image of the front of a school. "This is the school. It is an American school, but its students come from all over the world. You will be leading the group in the investigation of the attacks. As you can see from the packet, we suspect SCORPIA to be behind them. But we aren't quite sure, so we need you to look out for other organizations too. And if you object to this mission, we might be inclined to take away Ms. Starbright's visa." They were blackmailing him again.

"You just better hope that no one gets killed before I figure out what's going on in there." Retorted Alex angrily. He stalked out of the room and went back to his seat.

A FEW HOURS LATER, SAS LANDING STRIP:

The plane descended onto a concrete landing strip. Around it men in black combat trousers and boots with black tee shirts ran laps through the mud. Alex remembered this all too well.

The group was met by a large man in a uniform much like the ones worn by the runners, but he had a badge indicating that he was a sergeant. Alex's favorite person in the world. Not. Mrs. Jones whispered something in his ear before she turned and reboarded the plane.

The sergeant was his usual self. "Welcome children. I hope you are all ready for a wonderful week in hell. Cub, I didn't expect to see you back here. Where've you been?" Alex muttered something about classified information and Official Secrets Acts. "Right, back to the lecture. I am the sergeant. You will listen and obey me at all times, or you will be binned. If you complain, you'll be binned. If you can't keep up, you'll be binned. You get the picture. There's a list that says which unit you're in on the wall of the mess hall. Lunch has already begun, so I guess you should join us. You will receive codenames later today. Cub, you will rejoin K Unit. They are expecting you. You will be pleased to know that all of your old friends are still in the unit. Wolf is looking forward to seeing you again." Alex doubted it, but he nodded and walked over to the mess hall.

As he entered the mess hall, he saw Wolf, Eagle, Fox, and Snake sitting at the table marked "K UNIT". He assumed he would have to sit there. He got a tray and a plate of food, then went to sit with the group.

Wolf was the first to notice him. He stood up and shouted "Cub! You're back. They told us you were coming. What's with all the midgets?" he asked, gesturing to the group of schoolchildren who looked very confused.

"Classified." Was Alex's terse reply. Snake, Eagle, and Fox all stood up and shook his hand.

"Nice to have you back Cub." Said Snake. Eagle and Fox nodded in agreement, and they all sat down.

As Alex sat, he twisted the wrong way and stretched one of the muscles in his chest. He cried out and doubled over in pain. Wolf looked concerned.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Got shot." said Alex. He didn't really want to go into details, so he turned to his plate and shoveled down forkfuls of meat without really tasting any of it.

Alex and the group were given the afternoon to settle in and unpack. Alex had brought pajamas, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, and some jeans. He wore his uniform already. Some of his classmates, however, had not packed so lightly. Tom's suitcase contained a bunch of tee shirts, two or three pairs of jeans, two sets of pajamas, toiletries, swimming trunks, shorts, and a jacket. The uniform he had received on the plane lay on top of the bag. Alex groaned. If every student had packed like this, it was going to take hours to find space for it all.

One of the girls came up to him. "They said to tell you if we had a problem. I have one." She said. Alex looked at her expectantly, waiting for the question. She seemed to be waiting for him to respond.

"Yes?" he replied at last.

"My bed is like, way too small. And I'm gonna need a bigger chest of drawers. Also, the bathroom is nonexistent." she went through her list of problems.

"I thought you said you had _a_ problem. Not many problems. The bed is how it is. Deal with it. That's about as big as you're gonna get on the chest of drawers too. The bathroom is part of the shower house. Girls on the left. You shower when you have time. You don't really need to be constantly clean, but they appreciate of you don't smell too awful." Alex answered. The girl looked offended and stalked off to tell her friends about the horrors of SAS life. Alex walked on to the next unit. It was going to be a long day at this rate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Ok... so I took a couple months. If you read my profile, you would expect it. Without any further ado...(drum roll please) CHAPTER 3!!!**

It was the first day of training, and the teenagers were to be evaluated. Alex already knew that he would be required to undergo a more grueling exercise than his classmates. The others would run fifteen laps around the track. Alex was required to do thirty.

As they ran, a couple kids came up beside Alex. "Dude, what is with all the 'Cub' stuff. How the hell do you know these guys?" asked a tall boy. "Classified." said Alex. "Hey man, why won't you tell us?" asked another.

"Alright, guys, if you really want to know, I'll explain at lunch." he looked over at a couple people who were sprinting ahead, trying to be the fastest. "You've got nine laps to go. When you get to the end, you won't care who finished first." he called to them. They slowed down reluctantly.

The morning wore on slowly. As the first few people finished their run, Wolf, Snake, Eagle, and Fox came over to join him. They were also doing the thirty lap run.

"Where've you been Cub? Care to share a few stories?" asked Eagle. Alex wasn't sure if he was "allowed" to tell them. Again, he replied "Classified." "Whatever Cub." said Fox.

"We were asked to inform you that you will be helping to train and select the most able members of the group to perform the mission. You'll have to do some training as well, but according to Blunt, you are the most qualified to select those people. Basically, you're being promoted. Congratulations, Sergeant Rider." said Wolf. Alex was a little taken aback. "But you're only a Captain. I can' have a higher ranking than you!" he protested. "Actually, you were already a Captain. You were promoted after the whole 'Scorpia' thing. I guess they didn't tell you." said Wolf. "So technically, you can sit with the Sergeants at lunch and stuff. But I think it would be better if you don't quite yet. I mean, these midgets don't even know who you are. I've heard em' asking about you. I noticed you told one that you'd explain at lunch. You should probably think up your speech so you don't just confuse them. Keep it short. Remember, they're on a need-to-know basis. Only tell em' what they need to know. They'll probably have questions too. Maybe you should get a question box." he joked.

"Whoa. Uh... Thanks?" said Alex, not really sure what to do. The four men turned to leave. Fox was the last to go. He saluted Alex. "Sergeant." he said.

Now Alex was really lost. Wolf was right. He shouldn't do all the Sergeant stuff. He decided he would stick to his regular table. It was definitely a lot for him to take in, let alone everyone else. He finally came to the end of his thirtieth lap. He was surprised that he wasn't tired at all. He must have been in better shape than he thought.

Grabbing some sweatpants from his bed on the way, he proceeded to the mess hall and his impending explanation.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm on a roll. Two chapters within a month of each other. It is my spring break gift to you. Enjoy!**

Alex entered the mess hall to find a group of students assembled around K-Unit's table. _Looks like they managed to spread the word pretty fast_, Alex thought. A couple people saluted him as he went by. Others nodded their heads politely, saying "Sergeant". Apparently, his new status hadn't stayed secret for long.

He took a deep breath, then walked to the center of the mob. "Alex!" called Tom. Wolf looked at Tom. "So Cub, that's your real name?" he asked. Alex nodded. "I noticed that the midgets were gathering, so I felt inclined to investigate. Now that our new _Sergeant_ is here, I think I can figure out what's going on. Let me venture a guess. You told em' you'd explain everything. I'm just here to warn you, most of the stuff you've done is classified. Try to tell as little as possible. Remember, need-to-know basis." With that, Wolf turned and sat. The rest of the Unit had been clever enough to extract themselves from the situation.

With a sigh, Alex asked "Well, what do you guys want to know?" Hands shot up. "Er... How about you, there in the back." he pointed to a short brown-haired boy. "What exactly do you do?" he asked. Alex took a deep breath. "I am a spy. I work mostly for MI6, though sometimes the CIA needs me. I've been on seven missions, many in different countries. You've probably heard of some of them. The incident with the Stormbreakers? General Sarov's plan to blow up the uranium on those subs in Murmansk? Damian Cray's "Gameslayer"? Or most recently, Mr. Drevin's Ark Angel space hotel? I was the agent on all of those assignments." replied Alex.

"How long have you been a spy?" asked someone else. "Since I was fourteen. That makes two years. You see, my dad was a spy too. He and my mother were killed by an assassin organization called Scorpia. My uncle was also a spy. When I went to live with him, he started training me. I didn't know it, but he was preparing me for this job. When he was killed in action, they sent me in to finish his mission. I was successful, so they kept using me." he explained.

"Are you, like, a black belt or something?" called out another. "Yes. Second level _dan_, or black belt." he answered.

"What's with all the 'Cub' and 'Sergeant' stuff?"

"Cub was my first SAS code name. And today, I was just promoted to sergeant. I'm going to be training you guys."

A couple people looked a little confused. "But I thought you were training with us?"

"Apparently I''m not." said Alex. He was getting a little fed up with the whole Q & A thing. "Is that all? Because you guys are wasting my lunch hour." he asked.

The group was silent, so Alex stood and got into line for some food.

**A/N: Sorry if this was kinda boring, but it had to happen eventually. Now we can get on with the story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm on vacation, but Monday is our first day back, so don't expect so many chapters per month. Now we can get into the story. So, here it is, chapter 5!**

The first day was a little hectic. The students were being separated into groups. Since Alex was officially no longer a student, he had to help separate the students.

As each one ran by, and the sergeants gave their input. It was easy for Alex to tell which ones were the most or the least fit because he had been in P.E. class with them for years.

After two hours of examining, the groups were established. Alex was assigned two groups of students. They were in the medium fitness level. Alex pitied the man who had to train the lazy, lowest level ones.

The first activity was marshal arts. Alex's students were expected to reach the yellow belt (**A/N: that's the second level for people who don't know about karate**) in one day. There was a special karate teacher, but Alex was so good that it had been decided that he would teach alone.

A few kids in the group had done some marshal arts before. However, they were quite rusty, so the group was pretty much all beginners.

Each sergeant was given a captain as their assistant. It was just Alex's luck that Wolf was his. Wolf showed up late, and Alex thoroughly enjoyed making him do one hundred push-ups.

"All right. Who here has done karate before?" asked Alex. A few hands went up. "Today Captain Wolf and I are going to teach you an easy kick. It's called the snap kick. Wolf, would you care to demonstrate?" he asked, grinning. This kick was the hardest for Wolf.

Wolf stepped forward and brought his leg up clumsily. He jump up to switch legs and snapped the other forward. There was a cracking noise. A couple people giggled. Wolf turned slightly red.

"Okay people, on your feet." called out Alex. When only a handful of students moved, he yelled "Last one up does two hundred!" (**A/N:those are push-ups people**) At once they all jumped up. "I'll do it slowly for you now." Alex brought one knee up. "You bring the opposite knee up, then jump and switch legs." He demonstrated. "Then you snap the rest of your leg forward. Why don't you guys start withy the kick before you try jumping. Just bring your knee up and snap the rest forward."

There was a lot of shuffling around as people found a place to practice. Alex and Wolf walked around, helping and demonstrating for the kids who had trouble. Pretty soon they all had it down. "Now let's work on the jump." announced Alex. "Just bring one knee up, then jump and switch knees." He showed them. Again the students shuffled about before starting. When they got that, Alex told them to put it together.

By the time the lunch bell rang, Alex's entire group had completed their yellow belt test and passed. As he walked to the mess hall, Wolf came up next to him. "You remember how yesterday at lunch you were about to sit down and you flinched and made a face. I asked you what happened and you said you got shot. I don't think I was really paying attention to you, so I'm gonna do this now. CUB, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET SHOT!?" yelled Wolf in Alex's face. "Well... I was walking out of the MI6 building, and there was some guy on the roof across the way, and he just sort of... shot me." replied Alex, trying to sound as if he didn't care.

"Why on Earth did they WANT to shoot you?" demanded Wolf. "Hey, Wolf. You're shouting in my face. I refuse to answer your question until you return to a normal tone and respect my personal space. Imagine like a bubble, all the way around me. Can ya do that?" Alex was just slightly irritated. Wolf scowled, but stopped yelling and stood back a little.

"Seriously. What were you doing?" asked Wolf. "If you really want to know, I got the idea to join an assassin organization that was planning to kill thousands of British school children. SCORPIA? Maybe you've heard of them?" said Alex simply. Wolf's jaw dropped. "You _worked_ for them?"

"Yeah. I guess I did. Then they tried to make me kill Mrs. Jones, and I sort of failed that one. She was behind bulletproof glass the whole time." He said. Wolf snickered. Alex sighed. "I'm okay now, though. Bullet just missed my heart. Busted an artery instead. This has been a lovely chat, but I really must go make sure my trainees make it to lunch." he said before walking away.

**A/N: Okay... there has been a big mix-up regarding the whole ranking thing. Captain means captain of a UNIT in this case. Sergeants train the units. Therefore, for these purposes, a sergeant is higher than a captain. Sorry for the confusion. Anyway, I hope you liked it. I'm thinking of starting another fic, but I'm not sure yet. Love you guys!**

**XOXO**

**Paige**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm just about the worst writer on there ever was. But here is a chapter to try to make it up to you.**

Later that night, Alex and the other sergeants decided it would be fun to do a night exercise. They picked straws, and Alex was the lucky winner of waking up the girls.

It was around 1 a.m. and all of the girls were out cold, exhausted by their grueling day. Alex tentatively poked a blonde head. No response.

"Wake up" he whispered. Again, no response. He tried the girl next to her.

"Please, wake up" he whispered. Nothing. He walked around, poking and whispering to a few more before he realized that this was not going to work. He needed to do something a little more drastic.

"WAKE UP!!!" he shouted, walking down the row and pulling blankets off of the girls. They all jumped at the shouting and sat up to see what was going on.

"You will be taking part in a night exercise. Put on your uniforms and come down to the running track in five minutes. One hundred push-ups for every minute you're late." When some of the girls groaned and lays back down, he shouted "LET'S MOVE PEOPLE!" Eventually they all stood up.

Alex walked down to the track to wait with the other sergeants and captains. A few of them were also groaning and rubbing their eyes.

"So, how was it?" asked Wolf with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure they'll all be down here on time," said Alex, matching Wolf's grin. Sure enough, the first ones down were the girls, thoroughly woken up by Alex's little wake-up call.

Alex turned to Wolf, "See." he said. "I am so talented."

"Whatever Cub." replied Wolf. They proceeded to wait another fifteen minutes for the rest of the group. Tom arrived last, looking significantly more disheveled than the others. Alex guessed that he had tried to get a couple more minutes of sleep.

When everyone was assembled, one of the sergeants- named Sergeant Tiger- stepped forward. "You will all be going through the exercise in your groups. Please divide yourselves up now so that we don't have to wait any longer." he said, glaring pointedly at Tom, who looked down sheepishly.

"Okay, so you will be doing a hike up this hill, through the woods, and through the clearing on the other side to the river. We will be waiting for across the river. Follow the yellow tape if you get lost. All members of the team must make it to the river. Keep your eyes open, we have set up a few 'diversions' along the way. You have until dawn. Go." he pointed up the hill, and the weary teenagers set off.

Later on, Alex was stationed in a tree above the path with a net full of water balloons to throw at them. He had noted, with some amusement, that the balloons were camouflage patterned.

Alex quickly turned his head when he heard hushed voices and footsteps. It was the first group. They strode along purposefully. Obviously they knew they were in the front. Alex reached into his net and pulled out three water balloons. He prepared to throw them, aiming for the people who appeared to be leading the group. When they were right below him, he fired.

A couple girls screamed, and the whole bunch fled. Alex chucked a few more, hitting the stragglers, who were being lazy and not participating. Then he quickly hid behind the trunk of the tree before one of them could look back and see him.

About five minutes later, he repeated the process on another group.

And so it went, Alex chucking water balloons and kids screaming and running, until the sun finally began to show through the trees. He climbed down from his post and jogged along to the river, carrying his empty net.

He arrived to find a group of semi-wet and freezing teenagers, most of which were grumbling about some injustice of SAS life.

**A/N: So, hope you liked it. Drop a line. Or two. Or five. Whatever floats your boat.**

**XOXO Paige**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So it didn't take me even close to as long as last time to update. But you have to understand, I haven't been home in 5 weeks. But now I'm on the plane home, so I have time to write.**

The time passed quickly for Alex, though he doubted the kids felt the same way. At last it came time for the team to be selected. At least ten teens would be joining Alex if not more. The sergeants and captains had to write reports about each candidate for the team. Many kids weren't even considered, their performance had been so bad.

The night after the last day of training they (the sergeants and captains) met to discuss the selections. The teens had been given the night off after an early dinner. Alex had overheard some of them talking about a party. He wished he could join them and be a normal teenager for once.

They met in the mess hall. A white board and projector had been set up. Alex took a seat next to Wolf. In the next five or ten minutes, everyone was seated. Then, the side door opened abruptly, and who should walk in but Alan Blunt, followed closely by Tulip Jones. Alex scowled when he saw them.

"So..." said Blunt. "You have trained the students for a while now, so I assume you know them and their abilities well. You will stand one at a time and place your report on the projector. Then you will list the members of your group who you find capable to participate in this mission and tell us about them. Then you will sit, and the next person will proceed. Understood?"

There was a mumble of agreement and some nodding. "Good. Sergeant Spider, Captain Panda, you may start." said Blunt. He took a seat at the table while two vaguely familiar men stood and began their report.

Alex drifted in and out of the meeting, only catching bits and pieces, such as: "Good running, panics a lot though..." "Smart kid, nice karate technique..." et cetera. Finally it was Alex's turn. A few of his group were not quite up to par, so he didn't talk about them. He gave a brief description of each of his five selected group members, then quickly sat down again.

After Alex, three more men presented, and then it was time to decide. Alex participated a bit more actively. Each name was brought up and people put in comments. The student was kept in the running based on the mutual opinion of his/her instructors. Eventually the list was narrowed down to about twenty, among them was Tom, Alex noted happily. Not many girls made it that far, but their were four.

Pieces of paper were passed out, and each was asked to write five names of their choice for the team. Alex wrote Tom, and the four girls, because he hadn't been paying attention and he didn't particularly want to have a lot of arrogant guys getting in his way on the mission. At least the girls would probably stay out of his way.

The votes were cast and a team of eleven was chosen. Tom and the four girls were on it, apparently Alex was not the only one who chose them. The team was as follows:

Thomas "Tom" Harris

December "Ember" Greene

James Warton

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Fentsworth

William "Will" Gordon

Paul Darcey

Benjamin "Ben" Modley

Daniel "Dan" Sherry

Todd Hudson

Drew Freeman **(A/N: This is a girl people.)**

Riley Miller

Alex was given a copy of the list, as was each other sergeant. Blunt dismissed the meeting, and the group dispersed.

As he walked toward his bunkhouse, he heard faint music and laughter coming from the girls dorm. He guessed that this was the party he had heard about. He decided to have a look, it couldn't hurt. He trudged up the hill and knocked on the door. He heard a bit of scuffling as someone made their way to the door. When it opened, he saw a girl standing there. She was average height with light brown hair that went down to the middle of her back. She had bright hazel eyes. She was thin, and she wore jeans and a blue t-shirt with a purple rhinestone horse on it.

"Hi." she said, "I'm Ember. You must be Alex. You want to come in?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, sure." replied Alex. "Thanks."

She turned, and he followed her into a crowd of teens. Someone had smuggled an iPod and speakers into the dorm, and a bunch of kids were dancing. Others sat on the beds, chatting. Alex quickly spotted Tom and went over to him.

When he walked over, Tom looked up and smiled. "Hey! How was the meeting?" he asked.

"Boring." replied Alex. He was supposed to wait to tell anyone who had made the team, but he didn't really care. "You're on the team." he told him. "Don't tell anyone, I'm not supposed to tell yet." Tom nodded, and Alex sat down beside him. Soon a bunch of other guys walked over and they started a heated debate about football **(A/N: Yes, I do mean soccer, for those Americans [like me).**

About ten minutes later, Ember found him sitting on the bed with the guys. "Hi!" she said. "Having fun?"

"Yeah." replied Alex.

"D'you want to dance?" she asked him.

"Er... all right." he replied and stood. She took his hand and led him into the throng of swaying and twirling kids. She began to roll her hips and move her shoulders in time with the music.

"Oh, come on Alex! Let go!" she told Alex, who was feeling a bit silly. Soon however, he was moving to the music, twirling Ember a couple of times.

After a bit, the song ended. Alex expected she would leave and find another partner or talk to her friends, but she moved closer and put her hands on his shoulders as a slower song started up. Alex put his arms around her waist and they swayed side to side a bit.

"Having fun now?" asked Ember.

Alex grinned. "Yeah."

They danced till the end of the song. Alex took Ember's hand and led her off the dance floor.

"Wanna go for a walk?" he asked her, "It's getting kind of loud in here."

"Sure." she replied, and they stepped out into the dark.

They walked in silence for a while, holding hands. They reached a little pond. There was a log next it.

"You want to sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the log. Ember nodded and they sat.

"So... I hear you're a spy." said Ember.

"Yeah." replied Alex. "It's really not as great as it sounds though. I wouldn't do it, but Blunt and Jones are blackmailing me. They have been since my first mission."

Ember frowned. "That's horrible!" she exclaimed. "I thought blackmail was illegal anyway."

"The only problem is, they are the government, so they can do pretty mush anything they want."

"I don't believe it!" said Ember.

"I don't think I could stop now though. It's my life. It's part of me now. And it's in my blood. My father and my uncle were some of the best agents they had." Alex said.

Ember looked at him. Alex met her eyes. Slowly, their heads moved closer, and their lips met. For a moment, all that Alex could feel was Ember. He buried his hands in her long brown hair. Her arms wound around his neck pulling him closer. They broke apart for a second to breathe. Then they came back together again, kissing more passionately this time.

Alex had never really had time for a girlfriend, Sabina was the only girl he ever had feelings for. But now, kissing Ember, he felt something he had never felt before. They broke apart again. Ember leaned against him and he put his arms around her.

They stayed like this for a while, before they stood and began to walk back, stopping to kiss every so often. At last they made it back to the girls dorm, and with one parting kiss, Ember slipped inside. Alex walked to his own dorm and fell into his bed. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

A/N: So there you have it. I think it's one of the longest chapters I've written. Remember, R&R! XOXO

Paige


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm doing so much better with the updates! I mean, seriously, less than 3 months between them. I would have written more this weekend, but I took my new horse (his name is Yogi. How cute is that?) to a big horseshow in VT. We placed eighth out of ninety horses. Now I'm riding every day, but I do it in the morning when it's not too hot. Now I just have to get my dad to buy him for me. I'm going to have to do some major sucking up! Anyway, I love all of you wonderful readers. How about you read the story now, instead of listening to my rambling. Here it is, CHAPTER 8!!**

Alex got up with the sun, as usual. He still had a good few minutes before he had to get up. As he lay in bed, he thought about Ember. He wanted her to be his girlfriend, but it could just put her in even more danger. The last he wanted was for her to end up like Sabina.

He heard some of the other men in his bunkhouse stirring. It was time to get up. Today, they would see off the teens that were not selected for the mission. They would take a plane back to London. They would continue to go to school and such. Alex wished he could go with them.

He stood up and went over to his small metal chest of drawers and pulled out his uniform, a black t-shirt and camouflage combat pants. He tucked them into his heavy boots. Last he put on a camouflage jacket with a little embroidered tag that read:

SERGEANT CUB

He walked out of the bunkhouse to the mess hall for a quick breakfast before the children arrived for their breakfast.

Once he arrived at the mess hall, he grabbed a bagel and a tub of cream cheese, then sat down to spread it.

While he was wolfing down his bagel, the first couple of students wandered in. They got their breakfast and sat down, only to be joined moments later by their friends. Soon the mess hall was loud with chatter.

Towards the end of breakfast, two people Alex never enjoyed seeing appeared at the door. Alan Blunt in his dull grey suit and Tulip Jones in a navy blue pinstriped skirt suit with a pink blouse looked out of place in the camouflage sea.

Blunt caught Alex's eye and gestured for him to come over.

"Hello Alex" he said. Alex did not reply, nor was he expected to.

"Lovely to see you again, Alex dear" said Mrs. Jones warmly. Alex nodded briefly. "We've been monitoring your progress, and we think you have done considerably well. Thank for helping with the training" she smiled at him. He muttered something under his breath about not having a choice.

The sergeants stood and called out,

"Everyone except Harris, Greene, Warton, Fentsworth, Gordon, Darcey, Modley, Sherry, Hudson, Freeman, and Miller gather your bags and line up at the door." Chairs screeched as almost everyone stood. There was much bumping and shoving as the students made their way to the door. Once everyone was lined up, they were all led outside.

The silence in the mess hall was slightly awkward. The few students remaining had shifted tables so that they sat together. Blunt, Jones, and Alex made their way over to the table. Alex sat, while Blunt stood at the head of the table with Mrs. Jones.

"Hello all of you. As I hope you will remember, I am Alan Blunt, Head of MI6. This is my deputy, Mrs. Jones. We are here to brief you on your mission.

"You will be attending an American School in Munich, Germany. You will need to keep your eyes open for any strange behavior. If the school is attacked again, you must fight back. Do not kill all of your attackers before we can find who sent them and why. We have an agent in Munich now, who will meet you and guide you. His name is Joseph York."

Mrs. Jones opened her briefcase and pulled out a bunch of folders.

"These contain a copy of the mission brief and a fake identity that you will use. We have decided to keep your first names the same, but change your last. Read them and learn them. A slip in conversation could get you killed. Good luck." she said, handing each of them a folder.

"You leave for Germany in four days. Until then, we have arranged for you to stay in one of our flats in London. You will be taken there later today. Go and pack." said Blunt. The students dispersed, and Blunt and Jones got into their black SUV and were driven away.

(Later that day)

The teens were assembled on a decrepit wooden bench by the road, waiting to be driven to the airstrip (it wasn't actually big enough to be an airport, just a runway and a hangar). Ember had taken the seat next to Alex and was leaning against him. They hadn't had a chance to talk privately since the previous night, and Alex wasn't sure when they would get one.

The group sat in silence. It wasn't awkward, but everyone was immersed in his or her own thoughts. Especially Alex. On the top of his mind was Ember. _Is she like, my girlfriend or something now? I mean, the leaning clearly means she thinks we have something. But is it safe? For her, I mean. SCORPIA could be involved. What if they found out and tried to-_

The thinking session was interrupted by the arrival of a small van. Everyone piled in. Finally they were forced to make some conversation as seating was arranged. Alex took the corner seat in the far back, hoping to be forgotten. No such luck.

"Hey, Rider!" called James. "Tell us about some of the stuff you've done."

"Yes! Please will you?" the girl called Lizzie asked brightly. Alex shook his head.

"Classified" was his terse reply. A couple people groaned.

"That's all you ever say." complained Ben.

"Lay off guys, give the man a break!" Tom defended him. The van went back into awkward silence. Ember and Drew, sitting in front of Alex, began to whisper, glance his way, then giggle in that girlish way that always got on his nerves.

"All right, everyone out!" called the driver. They unloaded and found themselves standing before the very same jet that had brought them here. This time, however, there was no Mrs. Jones to monitor them. Somehow, Alex knew he was in for an interesting flight.


End file.
